Author: Database of Press Releases related to Africa

VICTORIA, Mahé, March 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The African Union Ministerial Working Group on tourism sector development strategy have concluded a two-day brainstorming meeting on 14 March 2014 in Seychelles in view to strategise on how to make an African brand through tourism while attracting visitors to chose Africa as major destination.

Key speakers at the opening ceremony of the Ministerial Working Group include, Dr. Elham Mamoud Ibrahim, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy of the African Union, Mr Jean-Paul Adam, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Seychelles, Mr Alain ST Ange, Minister of Tourism and Culture of the Republic of Seychelles, Mr Marthinus Van Schalkwyk, Minister of Tourism of the Republic of South Africa and Mr Regis Immongault, Minister of Mines, Industry and Tourism of the Republic of Gabon in the presence of the Ambassador of the Republic of Seychelles in Addis Ababa, Mr. Joseph Nourrice, representatives of the diplomatic corps in Seychelles, AUC officials and invited guests.

Addressing the participants Commissioner Elham Ibrahim recalled that the idea of organizing the Ministerial working group meeting, was initiated and discussed in Seychelles some times ago, between the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Seychelles. “For sure, there could not be a better venue for this meeting than this place which embodies the very spirit of tourism of our continent. For me, the name Seychelles immediately creates in my mind, images of all that is beautiful with Africa.”, she noted. The Commissioner underscored that the Ministerial Group Meeting will define the long term aspirations of the continent in the tourism sector.

The African Union Commission, Commissioner Elham Ibrahim said, is in the process elaborating its long term strategy for speeding up development and integration of the continent. “This strategy which envisages Africa’s prosperity in the next fifty (50) years since 2013 is known as the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063. It will be comprehensive and articulate on the aspirations of the African peoples in all their socio-economic endeavors”, she underlined. The Commissioner added that, the African Union Commission is well aware of the huge direct and indirect contribution of tourism to the economies of African countries at both macro and micro levels. (See complete statement of the AUC Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy on the AU website: www.au.int ).

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Seychelles reiterated the need for AU Member States to strengthen the role and place of tourism within the political discourse in Africa so as to build on the African brand by harmonising policies on the tourism sector. Minister Jean-Paul Adam reassured the AU Commissioner that his country will work with the AU Commission to further strengthen this sector to achieve all the dreams expressed in the 2063 agenda.

The Minister of Tourism and Culture of the Republic of Seychelles, on his part , hoped that the Ministerial working group will prepare a robust long-term strategy on tourism in Africa that will strengthen the role of the private sector and take into account the promotion of air connectivity among other infrastructures within the continent. “It is important for us as Africans to better connect our countries to create shared opportunities”, Minister Alain ST Ange added. He pointed out that Africa has a huge tourism potential in all aspects of the sector such as natural environmental wonders, exotic wildlife and plants, ancient cultures and historic relics. All these have not yet been well exploited and promoted to the extent of generating commensurate benefit to African countries.

A presentation on the AU Agenda 2063 was done during the Ministerial Working Group on Tourism. According to the agenda, the Ministerial working group was called upon to identify and implement interventions that are required to optimize the role of tourism as an engine and a catalyst for economic development and growth in Africa. Some examples, within the AU Agenda 2063 framework were highlighted such as: undertaking joint marketing including packaging and promotion of cross-border tourism attractions; promoting joint projects for infrastructure development and investment– for example, promoting African cross-border investment in hotels, airport, roads, ports; capacity building for people working in the tourism industry; and removing tourism visa constraints among others.

TOKYO, Japan, March 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — 1. The Joint Monitoring Committee of the TICAD Process was held on March 14 (Fri.) at JICA Research Institute. The Committee was chaired by Mr. Yoshifumi Okamura, Director-General for African Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was attended by representatives of the ministries concerned, government agencies, TICAD co-organizers (the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations, the United Nations Development Program, and the World Bank ), the Permanent Representatives Committee of the African Union (PRC), the African Diplomatic Corps, New Partnership for Africa’s Development(NEPAD) , international organizations and NGOs.

2. At this Committee, MOFA Japan and TICAD co-organizers briefed on the preparation for the first TICADV Ministerial Meeting which is scheduled in May 4th and 5th in Cameroon, and outcome documents and the participants exchanged views. Through the Committee, it was agreed that all participants will work together for the success of this upcoming Meeting.

References TICAD Follow-up Mechanism

1. Yokohama Action Plan 2013-2017 sets forth the Three-Tier structure of the Follow-up Mechanism established as follows:

(1) Joint Secretariat: MOFA Japan, African Union Commission, UNOSAA, UNDP and World Bank;

(2) Joint Monitoring Committee composed of Japanese Government and related governmental Organizations, TICAD Co-organizers, Permanent Representatives Committee of the African Union (PRC), African Diplomatic Corps in Tokyo (ADC) and NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, International Organizations and donor countries

(3) Follow-up Meetings

・Annual Senior Officials Meeting

・Annual Ministerial Meeting

・Summit (Every five years)

2. Dialogues between MOFA Japan and the African Diplomatic Corps in Tokyo (ADC) on the TICAD are held regularly.

BANGUI, Central African Republic, March 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — As the security situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) continues to improve, the African-led International Support Mission in the Central African Republic (…

GENEVA, Switzerland, March 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, will visit the war-torn Central African Republic from 18 to 20 March 2014, to discuss the dire human rights situation ther…

BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, March 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Council adopted the following conclusions:

“1. The security and humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR) remains a matter of deep concern, despit…

BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, March 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — European Commissioners Andris Piebalgs, for Development policy, and Karel De Gucht, for Trade policy, welcome today’s Foreign Affairs Council conclusions confirming new EU support of at least €6.5 billion for the Economic Partnership Agreement Development Program (PAPED) for West Africa1 during the period 2015-2020. The funds will greatly enhance trade and investment flows to West African countries, thus contributing to their development, sustainable growth and poverty reduction.

The PAPED is an essential element of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiated with West Africa, and will provide funding for projects linked to trade, industry, transport and energy infrastructure in the region, as well as through support to civil society.

This substantial new commitment from the European Commission and the EU Member States, demonstrates EU’s continuous support to West Africa’s regional integration, which is the most advanced of the African continent.

Commissioner Piebalgs said: “EU’s commitment responds to the needs expressed by West Africa and will allow the region to take advantage of all the opportunities of the Economic Partnership Agreement. The implementation of the EPA will be instrumental in creating favourable conditions to boost trade in the region and stimulate growth and job creation. The development of the region will also contribute to increase peace and stability in West Africa.”

In 2010, the EU already pledged to provide €6.5 billion to support the PAPED for the period 2010-2014. This pledge was eventually increased and the EU has funded projects worth €8.2 billion (through the European instruments, Member States’ bilateral cooperation and the European Investment Bank).

Background

The region of West Africa1 includes Benin, Burkina Faso, Cap Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo and Mauritania.

In today’s Foreign Affairs Council conclusions, the European Union acknowledges the importance of the PAPED developed by West Africa during the negotiations of the EPA between the 16 states in the region and the European Union.

The PAPED has five objectives:

• Promoting diversification and growth in production capacity

• Development of trade within the region and improved access to internal markets

• Improvement and reinforcement of regional and national infrastructure linked to trade

• Fiscal, social and economic reforms, and other trade-related issues

• Implementation of EPA monitoring and evaluation

The PAPED is an essential step in the process towards the implementation of the future EPA. The EPA represents a new kind of partnership between West Africa and the EU in the sense that although it is a trade agreement, it has a specific development objective. It is designed to strengthen West-African economies via the production and export of a wider range of goods, and by increasing trade between the countries in the region.

The negotiations for an Economic Partnership Agreement between West Africa and the European Union have recently been concluded and endorsement at political level is expected in due course.

Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) are trade and development agreements negotiated between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific regions engaged in a regional economic integration process. The EPAs were put in place to help ACP countries integrate into the world economy and share in the opportunities offered by globalisation.

BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, March 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Council today adopted an EU strategy on the Gulf of Guinea to support the efforts of the region and its coastal states to address the many challenges of maritime ins…

BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, March 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Council adopted the following conclusions:
“1 The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) is an important step for the partnership between West Africa and the Euro…

BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, March 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Council adopted the following conclusions:

“1 The European Union (EU) remains deeply concerned by the crisis in the Sahel region. It reiterates its determination …

BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, March 17, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Council adopted the following conclusions:

“1. The European Union (EU) expresses its deep concern about the ongoing crisis in South

Sudan, the grave human suffering it causes and its regional implications. It is seriously concerned about the violations of the Cessation of Hostilities (CoH) agreement signed on

23 January 2014 in Addis Ababa and calls on all parties to immediately stop the violence and

honour the CoH. It urges all political and military leaders to protect the people of South Sudan and to act in the interest of the South Sudanese population as whole. The EU supports efforts to operationalise the agreed Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (MVM) and calls on all actors involved to expedite this process. The EU recognises the essential role that the

United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is playing in protecting civilians and reporting on human rights. The EU condemns all threats against the Mission’s personnel and calls upon all parties to cooperate fully with UNMISS.

2. The EU firmly supports the mediation led by the Inter-Governmental Authority for

Development (IGAD) and commends IGAD’s relentless efforts to open the way for an inclusive political dialogue. In this regard the EU welcomes the release of seven detained political leaders and their involvement in the peace process, and calls on the Government of South Sudan to take the necessary measures to release the four remaining detainees and allow them to take part in this process too. The EU looks forward to the resumption of talks in

Addis Ababa on 20 March 2014. In this context, it urges all parties to negotiate in good faith towards a peaceful, comprehensive and sustainable solution to rapidly put an end to this conflict by addressing its underlying causes. The EU stresses the importance of inclusive dialogue and national reconciliation and underlines the role of civil society in this respect.

The EU has provided support for the IGAD-led negotiations and stands ready to support their eventual outcome. The EU invites the EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa to remain actively engaged in addressing this crisis in coordination with the “Troika” and other international actors.

3. The EU expresses concerns about any external intervention that could exacerbate the political and military tensions in South Sudan. It recalls the engagement of the parties to redeploy or progressively withdraw allied forces invited by either side. The EU encourages regional leaders to continue their cooperation under the aegis of IGAD.

4. The EU is deeply concerned at ongoing reports of widespread human rights violations and other abuses as also documented in an interim report by UNMISS issued on 21 February

2014. The EU welcomes further investigations by the UN into the role of different actors in instigating and committing the gross violations documented in the report: extrajudicial and mass killings; the deliberate targeting of civilians, arbitrary arrests and detention; enforced disappearances; ill-treatment and torture; recruitment and use of children; sexual violence; and widespread looting and destruction of property. The EU welcomes the establishment of the African Union Commission of Inquiry on 7 March 2014. It urges the Commission to begin its work as soon as possible and to cooperate with the UN and other relevant actors including in establishing the immediate and root causes of the conflict, in investigating crimes committed and proposing accountability and reconciliation measures. All those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law must be held accountable.

5. The EU is alarmed by the increasingly desperate humanitarian situation, including a significant risk of famine. Since the outbreak of the conflict in mid-December 2013, more than 900 000 have been forced from their homes. Around 3.7 million people are severely food insecure. The EU welcomes the role of the UN in coordinating the humanitarian response. It urges all partners to contribute both generously and swiftly to the South Sudan Crisis Response Plan and in particular to align their efforts to address the increasing food insecurity and to strengthen the resilience of the population. The EU and its Member States have so far pledged support to the tune of € 110 million. The EU condemns continued restrictions on humanitarian activities and calls on all parties to allow rapid, full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to all populations in need, in accordance with international humanitarian law and principles.

6. The EU reiterates that it stands ready to consider targeted restrictive measures against individuals obstructing the political process, in support of AU and IGAD efforts and in close coordination with international partners.”